Apparatus and method for enhanced multiple coil nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging
US4947121A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 5, 1989 |
| Grant date | Aug 7, 1990 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 5, 2009 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01R33/3415
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signal acquisition apparatus includes a cylindrical array of overlapping coils. Coupling of currents between coils due to re-radiation of received signals, in particular noise currents, is reduced by presenting a high impedance to each coil, thereby reducing the current circulating in each coil. A PREDAMP circuit is disclosed which utilizes the input impedance of a preamplifier, transformed through a quarter-wavelength transmission line segment, to achieve the high input impedance for the coil. As a result, multiple images, each with a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), can be simultaneoulsy obtained. A method is disclosed for combining the multiple images into a composite image with optimum SNR, taking into account the phase shifts between images resulting from the spatial orientation of the coils.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.